After tracking a Soviet landing force bound for Iceland it is time to plan your attack. Do you silently close in to torpedo the landing ships and escape during the resulting chaos? Or strike with long-range missiles but risk counterattack from the enemy escorts? Have you detected them all, could another submarine be out there listening for you? Has the hunter become the hunted? Will you survive the Cold Waters?

Inspired by the 1988 classic “Red Storm Rising”, take command a nuclear submarine in a desperate attempt to prevent “mutually assured destruction” when the Cold War gets hot and WWIII begins.

You will be tasked with intercepting convoys, amphibious landings, insertion missions and battling it out with enemy warships, submarines and aircraft. Thankfully, an arsenal of wire-guided torpedoes, anti-ship and cruise missiles and the occasional SEAL team are on board to keep the Iron Curtain at bay.

95 Responses to “Announcing Cold Waters”

What will it cost and how big is it? I will make a showcase video for you. Is that alright? And could you put a link to my YouTube if you would like me to make a video? I really want to premote my channel and also the people that play your games. I love the two games you have at the moment and might but the full version of Atlantic fleet. Thanks for your time

Hey Killerfish! I have always loved your games! Whenever I was bored, I would just do a massive single mision battle in Atlantic Fleet. Will we be able to do the same in Cold Waters? Also, will we be able to pilot Soviet subs such as the Typhoon and Oscar II classes?

Yes. With text files you can use all the same tools that we used to author Single and Campaign missions.
No Soviet subs at initial release, but editing text files should be able to make them playable.
We are considering a full Soviet campaign post-release.

One of the things that always helped with the learning curve playing Microprose games(red storm/stealth fighter etc.) was the keyboard overlay. Is there a chance an overlay could be included with Cold Waters.

MOBILE VERSIONS (iOS, Android, Kindle?)
We would like to do these some time after the initial PC/Mac release. However do note that Cold Waters is a full PC game, unlike our previous titles. So it is very likely that the mobile versions will have to be simplified to some extent in order to run on the various devices.

Brilliant! I can’t wait! Hopefully you guys release a mobile version of it later, because that would be great. A couple future games you guys could make is one set in WW1, and maybe a sequel to Pacific and Atlantic fleet.

This game is going to have so much potential with the modding. We will finally have a commercially available simulation where we can visualize a duel between Iowa and Kirov by modding (I haven’t seen a game with both the modernized Iowa and Kirov in it.). Modding would also theoretically allow ships from various time periods to be added and battle. I have wanted a game like this for a very long time. I would even wait into the 2020’s for a port of the full PC game to mobile when mobile devices get much more powerful.

In the old RSR game, one commanded a USN submarine only. No playing the side. After reading the Cold Waters forum on Steam, it appears that will be case with this new version. I don’t see this as a bad thing. The game play on original was lots of fun.

Thanks for your work. Many of us are “orphans” of Dangerouws Waters, be patient if you load of questions and requests. I think it would be essential to develop the multiplayer in the future for the duration of the game.

Really hoping you guys don’t forget about your roots on mobile. Some of us have been here since pacific fleet and only use mobile. Really hope you guys don’t start to far and out fase mobile. Was hoping initial release woul include mobile but I guess not. Love the Cold War idea but the idea of mobile not being part of the main release distresses me. Not sure about buying with that thought in mind.

Maybe they will release Cold Waters on 25th of December as a gift. If I remember well, last year they released an important update for Atlantic Fleet around December – January so perhaps … Damn I hope they’ll put it on mobiles too.

Any plans to add anything to Atlantic fleet
The old ships have a certain something the modern ships even Cold War era ships don’t have it’s like a mechanical clock vs a digital watch one is a mechanical masterpiece & one is a printed object.
Lots of people still enjoying Atlantic fleet but it could do with a few more ships (particularly the German side needs more) I’d like to see vittero vento or even some old German ships there is also vanguard & Iowa

If we go back to WWII it will be with an entirely new game/sequel.
In particular we would like to introduce modding tools so that players can make content and tailor the game to how they would like it to be.

Cold Waters should be out by mid-next year.
Mobile version has yet to be examined. It will be quite a significant conversion of the original game to get it running and playing well on mobile.
There are so many video recording options out there already, making this a very low priority feature for us to consider.

So, is there an option to play as the USSR or is this purely a capitalist pro-western game?
Also, does the in-game USSR fleet have Kirov-class nuclear battlecruisers, Akula (Typhoon-class) superheavy nuclear submarines and Admiral Kuznetzov aircraft carrier?

We don’t have a political affiliation. We focus on the technology, challenges and tactical decisions of naval combat.
Initially Soviet playable vessels are unlikely. However we’re considering adding playable Soviet subs.
Also it would be extremely easy to modify some text files to make the Soviet subs playable and you easily could put them into custom missions against NATO subs, again just by editing text files.
We are also looking into making a full playable Soviet campaign as well as adding playable nuclear (and maybe diesel) subs from other nations as well (British, French are the first on the list).

At 0:12 of the announcement trailer, we see a ship that seems to look like a merchant. What role will these ships play in the game? Will merchant ships’ tonnage still play a role to some extent like in Atlantic Fleet?

What did the IL-38 drop at 0:16 in the game trailer (I’m guessing either a sonobuoy or torpedo)? The Tu-142 is also making an appearance in the game. What weapons wil the Tu-142 be able to use?

How will airstrikes work in Cold Waters if it works differently from Atlantic Fleet? When will they be available?

Plus any chance of a last update to atlantic fleet?
1.There are still strange damage models for north carolina- hitting the boiler room still destroys the turrets and the a near miss to the turrets still makes an explosion to the boiler room despite the ship not being hit
2.Aircraft carriers are always at the front a formation of ships however realistically an aircraft carrier would not be leading a column of battleships into a surface duel
3.Any chance of extra aircraft carriers not Escort Carriers but actual carriers for this one reason – An actual carrier carries Dive bombers where as most escorts do not Dive bombers an actua carrier to me is much more useful and extra CVs like Ranger which were in the atlantic at the time of US declare war I could kill their surface fleets faster with a CV than I can with CVEs

Not in 3D at this time (surface fleet and airstrikes do occur at the level of the strategic map).
But for 3D, they might get added as part of a Soviet campaign. Then there would be the option to have friendlies directly in the NATO campaign.

Hi killer fish games! I am Joseph Glusman and I have purchased Atlantic fleet on steam. I have a question, a serious question. Can you add some american battleships, and carriers that played a short role in the Atlantic, also some carriers for the German Navy. To be honest you have not added all of Germany’s warships, they had two carriers. Please make a new update on Atlantic Fleet, I am getting impatient on your new game waiting for it to come out. Please add more ships on Atlantic fleet.

Neither were ever commissioned or even completed,and while you may argue that the H-39 and Lion class battleships in games were never built either,those were initially a prize for completing some things in game.

Plus,the Graf Zeppelin class carriers would be pointless for Germany,like all Carriers they require babysitting from surface ships,surface ships that you either don’t need or they take away from commerce raiding ability.

Hello killerfish is this a sandbox like you can goof around in the game with your sub. Like free roam without doing any missions. And with there be an exterior cam like silent Hunter where you can see the other ships in your area.

Yes, the campaign contains a theatre sized map in which you can roam about looking for targets. Recon aircraft, satellites and SOSUS barriers will reveal the locations of enemy task forces as they are detected.

20 years overdue, I remember Fast Attack back in the mid 90’s which was fun but lacked the campaign intrigue and single scenarios RSR had. I love the fact that this can be modded, would hope to see other theaters and maybe even era’s (2000’s in the Pacific Ocean, 1990’s Persian Gulf, 1980’s Mediterranean and US East Coast). There is a ton of potential for this game.

I realize you have to limit scope and depth to make the project manageable, so its not possible to make it a combined fleet action simulation (I’m sure modders will take care of that down the road myself included maybe). Regardless of if it costs USD $50 or $100 my check is already written.

Just out of curiousity, will a full blown scenario editor be part of the game. I realized RSR did not have one but it would have been nice.

Other eras and theatres are already being considered. Persian Gulf and South China Sea have come up as possible new theatres/eras to support, but we’ll look into these post-launch.
Scenario editor: Indirectly. We’ve exposed just about every piece of data in the game which is available in text files. Users will be able to modify these text files to create new missions, edit ship/weapon/sensor parameters, add new language support, create new campaign missions and events or even author an entire campaign.

alright killer fish I got yourcomment , and this will be my last question I’m going to ask you. The mission editor. how do you get to it is it through the single missions? and when you get to the editor would be like Atlantic fleet? You know you choose your sub, pick a ship to fight. Then you can play?

At the moment missions are edited via text files.
We are not sure if we are going to make an interface to edit game content directly in the game as well… there’s just so much to edit!
Editing text files will allow you to modify pretty much every aspect of a mission.

It’s just I don’t know how to edit text files. I mean it sounds hard and complex. I mean i’m not a developer or anything but to make your game sell well it needs a built in editor. Then the little guy like a person who doesn’t know about “text” files can build their own custom scenarios. Then if he or she posted a video about that it could make people wanna buy the game for that feature. But this is your game so I hope the text files are not hard and everbody can know how to use it and how to get to it.

Red Storm Rising was good as a PC game, a board game and a book. Long before PCs were ubiquitous, Bonds and Clancy experimented with many different damage models and ultimately came up with a damage model equating the ship displacement in tons vs the warhead sizes of the weapons. Not optimal, but it works, especially since a lot of these systems never saw actual combat and all sides tended to overestimate and underestimate capabilities. I created some very heavy duty mainframe based simulation algorithms during the 1980s, myself. Sometimes simpler models are best. One of the naval games I wish would get re-created for iOS is Harpoon.

2. Will a replay system be implemented into the game with cinematic views?

3. Will allied air support or recon be available in some missions?

4. Will the modernized Iowa-class battleships be in the game even if they are only mission parameters? Considering the game being set in the 1980’s, it is possible that USS Iowa would participate in the game’s conflict at the very least as she was deployed in European waters in late 80’s (i.e. gunfire support).

5. Can the full game be ported eventually especially when mobile devices get more powerful (yes, I know storage can still be an issue)? For text file editing in the mobile version, I think it is possible to allow iTunes File Sharing support in the game. txt files could be extracted and edited on the PC and transferred back via iFunBox to the app.

6. Any ETA on when we can expect an actual gameplay video to be uploaded to your YouTube channel?

2. Not at this time. It is a feature we’d love to have but just haven’t had the time to implement.

3. Not in missions as they occur once contact has been established. But in the campaign, you will rely on recon information from aircraft, satellites and SOSUS barriers to reveal the location and course of enemy forces.

4. Not initially as the only NATO vessels in 3D are your submarine. However if we make a full Soviet campaign the Iowa Class would make a very nice target indeed.

5. Unlikely. The full game is far too big for mobile platforms and they lack keyboard and mouse support. If a mobile port comes it would have to be simplified to some extent, made smaller and more efficient along with a whole new use interface. We will assess the viability of a mobile port after the PC/Mac versions are released.

6. We’re waiting on getting all the new ship models into the game before shooting more video. Shouldn’t be more than a few weeks to get them in, then we have to find time to shoot, edit and publish videos.

Hello Killerfish, I have a question about the battle ships in Cold Waters. Since I saw the screen shot of a battle ship with three turrets , will the turrets move and shoot in the game? Since I love battle ships I would like to see them shoot their guns.

Hey, this seems extremely intriguing as there are no up to date moden sub games. I would really look forward to multiplayer support though, if me and my friends would want to switch from Dangerous Waters to this.

Please this game has just about every thing but….. I beg you put a 688i control room in the original release it just needs to respond as would and have that ai crew telling you what’s going on….. Just for the people that don’t always want an outside view……..!!!
Would be a classic overnight….!!!!!!!

Hello; Looks like a great game with a lot of potential. My big question is:
21:9 aspect ratio, full screen with no black sidebars?
I have a Dell Ultrasharp curved 34″ monitor 3440×1440 resolution which all my top games support. I only purchase games that support this ratio.
Thanks